How good is Jordan Spieth going to be?
Well, if Sunday’s final round of golf in the Australian Open is anything to go by, then damn good. The 21-year-old American shot a course record 63 to completely dominate the local challengers and seal victory by a mammoth 6 shots. His bogey-free final round at the otherwise difficult course separated him from a host of well known local players including Rod Pampling, Brett Rumford, Adam Scott, Robert Allenby and Greg Chalmers.
The Australian course proved too much for most of the field, bar Spieth who made it look tremendously easy with three consecutive birdies between 5 and 7, and back to back birdies twice on the back nine. Spieth’s impeccable putting within ten feet and his unflappable scrambling were the standout features of his golf. Inevitably the unflappable nature of the Titleist player’s closing issued a seriously strong statement to other top ranked golfers.
Golf’s best player issued a remarkable complement on Twitter saying, “you could give me another 100 rounds today at The Australian and I wouldn’t sniff 63…. Well done @JordanSpieth very impressive!” Illustrating the difficulty that he and others faced on the wind swept course. His weekend scores of 76 and 72 further highlighted his struggles, yet he still finished in a tie for 15 with other notables Boo Weekley and Steven Bowditch.
Pre-tournament favourite Adam Scott couldn’t quite build the momentum that is necessary to win golf tournaments. His 4-under total was never going to be enough, and he will understandably rue his horror opening nine of 40 for curtailing his chances.
Spieth though; moves to 11th in the World Rankings; records his second win of his career; proves that he can go really low under pressure and in difficult conditions; and emphatically answers the writer’s first question – he’s as good as anyone and along with Lydia Ko and Rory McIlroy one of the most exciting youngsters in the game.
